The value of a soul, Saved by grace

There’s a museum in Italy that contains some of the great works of Michelangelo, the famous sculpture artist.

There are four partially completed figures sculptured out of marble. These four figures were intended to be a monument for the tomb of Pope Julius. they were named the captives.

One has half a torso, with an outstretched arm, another with a head and a arm reaching up.

All look as if their struggling to escape from their marble prison- too be free- to be complete-to be what they were intended to be-waiting for the hand of another to set them free!

Theodore Rogers wrote this about them; “When I looked at these partially completed figures, they stirred within me a deep longing to be completed, an ache to to be set free-free from that which distorts and disguises, imprisons and inhibits my humanness-my wholeness, but as with these statues I cannot liberate myself- for that I need the hand of another.”

Everyone of us who are traveling through life on this little space ship called earth needs the hand of another to make us complete-to make us what we were intended to be.

That’s why Jesus made the most incredible of incredible journeys when He came down to this little speck of dust called earth-to die on a cross for our sins-to rescue and redeem all of us who are, in truth “lost in space” with out any hope of finding God and that wonderful place that Jesus said He’s preparing for us in heaven.

My dear friend if you don’t know the way to that home in heaven that Jesus is preparing for us, you need to be honest-you need to ask the same question Thomas asked; “Lord we don’t no where you are going, so how can we know the way?”[ John 14:5]

Jesus answered Thomas, He said: “I am the way the truth and the life No one comes to the Father except through me.” [John 14:6

His answer will be the same to you, Jesus is the only way to heaven- there is no other that came from heaven and went back to heaven. Jesus is the one who is preparing a place for us in heaven, and the only one who knows the way to that place in heaven.

If you will accept Him as your Lord and Savior, than when you die, or if Jesus should return He will take you on an incredible journey to that place He has prepared for you-and you will be safe in the arms of your heavenly father.

You the reader probably have never thought about this–but do you realize right at this very moment you are on a fantastic incredible journey?? This incredible journey begin when you and I were born on this planet called “earth” which is just a speck of dust in a gigantic indescribable universe!

We are all traveling on this space ship called earth, spinning around like a top, traveling around the sun every 24 hours at an amazing speed of 66,600 mph.

Around and around we go- year after year- day after day – hour after hour.

Many of us riding on this space ship called earth are perplexed and troubled, not understanding where we came from, don’t know why we are here, and don’t have any idea where we are going.

Suicide among young people is at epidemic proportions in parts of are country.

American politician- Gus Patrick stood up to speak to a large assembly of people- he said simply, “There is no hope-there is no hope for the world”, and pulled a gun from his pocket and shot himself in the head, and died in a pool of blood in front of all the shocked people.

Former President George Bush said some time ago, “there’s a madness throughout the world”.

A French philosopher said these words: “Each man exists in a watertight compartment as an isolated individual in a purposeless universe, we cannot know who we are, where we came from, or where we are going. Since we do not understand the past and have no hope for the future then the present throbbing moment is all that matters, only what we realize in the immediate present is significant and has meaning. Distant goals have no validity, therefore to sacrifice the present for the future is nonsensical and stupid.”

We live in a “I want it now” generation with a humanistic philosophy that has overtaken our land. It’s on with the dance, let us eat, drink and be marry for tomorrow we die.

But Jesus said in John 14:1-6 “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. “

I tell you Folks, Jesus came to this sin scared earth to show us the way back to God- and He’s saying to all of us traveling on this space ship called earth;

“you believe in God, believe also in me. In my fathers house are many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Do you know the way back to God?

You see, when God created man, he was perfect- he lived in a perfect environment – man was created to live and never die-he was never meant to get sick or grow old. Man was meant to have unbroken daily fellowship with his creator.

Man was made in Gods image

God put something in man that He didn’t put in any of His other creations- The Eternal Soul!

He put the light of eternity in mans soul.

In Geneses the Bible says: ” And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).

It’s kinda like God put a candle in man, and he lit that candle with a heavenly light, and man walked in perfect harmony with God and had perfect peace and happiness– But sin came- Satan came and tempted man, and man disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, and the Bible says every last one of us who are traveling through life on this tiny speck of a planet have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. [Romans 3:23]

Ever person that’s ever been born has been born with that candle of God inside of them-but the candle is not burning -the heavenly light is out- snuffed out by sin, and it needs to be relit again!

The Bible says Jesus is the only one who can relight that candle of eternal life, for it says in John the first chapter: “through Him all things where made: without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it”

All mankind has been born with a hunger and a longing, a craving to be more than he/she is-to be complete.

It’s like CristyMcAuliffe said before she went up that fateful day in the space ship Challenger:

She wanted everyone to learn more, including herself. “What are we doing here? We’re reaching for the stars,” she said after entering the astronaut program.

Perhaps she was reaching for that one that can fill the emptiness and that longing in the human heart- reaching for that one that can light that candle of eternal life in the heart and soul of a man or woman, boy or girl.

When I was a kid back in 40’s, there was a science fiction comic strip called Buck Rogers. It was about space travel to other distant planets in their rocket ships. Back than we never dreamed we would ever be able to actually journey to the moon.

In the late 40’s a jet airplane broke the sound barrier going over 600 MPH. Just one year before this happened a math teacher explained to his class, using a blackboard, how it would be impossible for a plane to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier.

The first time I heard a plane break the sound barrier I was about 10 years old. I heard this loud explosion in the sky and I thought the world was coming to an end.

In the 50’s I spent 3 years in the Marine Corps Air Wing. We had the F4D’S experimental super sonic jets, 12,00 MPH mach 2 speeds. We lost 6 aircraft in the first year before all the kinks could be worked out of them.

October 4th 1957 the Space age began and the Soviet Union launched the first artificial unmanned satellite to circle the earth. [Sputnik]

The first manned space flight in human history was successfully undertaken on April 12 by Major Yuri Alexeivich Gagarin, a Soviet Air Force officer. Khrushchev said in one of his speeches, “Gagarin flew into space, but didn’t see any God there”.

John H. Glenn, Jr.made America’s first orbital flight on February 20, 1962, piloting the Mercury-Atlas 6 Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States. We all remember the excitement of this space mission as millions of us watched this historical event on our black and white TV sets.

About this time a new TV program called “Lost In Space” aired for the first time. It was about a space colony family struggles to survive when a spy/accidental stowaway throws their ship hopelessly off course. They have all kinds of adventures and dangers as they travel around the universe.

On July 1, 1969 a space ship called the Eagle. with three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Michael Colline, and Edwin Aldren took a fantastic incredible 240,000 mile journey to the moon. Many of us watched our TV’s all night long. Between 1969 and 1972 6 more trips would be made to the moon.

Now there talking about traveling at the speed of light – 186,000 miles per second!! Scientists tell us at this great speed time would stand still, and somewhere beyond this speed we would go back into the past!

The nearest star other than the sun [sun is 93 million miles away] is 25 million, million miles from the earth. Traveling in our fastest jet we have today, it would take a million years to reach the nearest star, and this great distance is only one billionth the distance to the farthest star we know about!

We live in a galaxy called the milky way-and scientists tell us there are billions of galaxies like ours in the universe. Many scientist believe the universe could be infinite – it goes on forever!

Howie Mandel has a show on TV called Deal or no Deal. You pick a brief case at the beginning of the show with the hope that at the end of the game, or the rounds of this game, you have picked the right one , and win the big prize.

The game is a game of change where you pick from 26 sealed brief cases ranging from one cent to millions of dollars. The game continues as you pick from the remaining 25 brief cases, The game has a mysterious Banker that temps you with various amounts of cash in the hope you will settle for lesser amount than the BIG prize you hopefully have in the briefcase you choose at the beginning of the game.

You continue to open new briefcases that have various amounts of cash or prices, than you receive the offer from the “The Banker” to accept an offer of money in exchange for what may be contained in the briefcase the contestant choose at the start of the show. The game host Howie Mandel than asks the question “Deal or No Deal.”

Our life is like that game show, We are all participants in the game of life, we are all contestants, hoping our choices will win the best prices or rewards. Early in our life we have a bunch of choices–will I go to college or not, who will I marry, or in today’s society, who will I choose to live with, what kind of work do I want to do, what church should I go to.

Many times in this game of life you will give up some of your earlier choices in exchange for other choices. As we get older we realize life is short, and the choices we make can have a negative or positive effect on our future. You can be sure “The Banker” will temp us with many offers, so we lose our briefcase that we hope the Big Prize is in.

In the briefcase we started with in this game of life, is a set of beliefs we aquire during the rounds of our life on earth. Most of us hope we will get to heaven when our time on earth runs out. All of us know someday we will come to the that last round of our life, and than the big moment will happen– what do we have in have in our briefcase– is it the Big Prize?

What have you got in your briefcase–think with me now–take inventory–you say, I’ve been a good person, I belong to a church, I give to my church and charity, I believe in God, I’m a good husband/wife/father/mother, you say to your self I should be OK, I have done the best I could. –But what does God say about your life??

God says, “Isaiah 64:6 filthy rags. There is no salvation for one trusting in his own acts of righteousness to commend him to God, for such acts (without repentant faith in Christ’s death for our sins) are like (literally) “menstrous cloths” in the sight of a holy God. “Not by works of righteousness” are we saved, but only by “His mercy” (Titus 3:5).

Well we see according to the Bible good works won’t get us to heaven, how then can we get there?

Ephesians 2:8-10 (New International Version)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 1For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Romans:1:16“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

Romans 10:9

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

In the above verses of scripture the Bible tells us we need to realize there is no amount of good works, or in plain simple English-There is nothing we can do ourselves to earn our way into God’s Heaven–God’s already none everything that’s necessary for us to get there. He sent His Son, Jesus to die on a Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and we need to repent of those sins and ask God to forgive us,and ask Jesus to come into our hearts.

The message of the Cross or Gospel of Christ is the wonderful story of what a Holy God has already done for sinful man.

Have you discovered “The Part That Matters”–Paul The Apostle said In 1 Corinthians 2:2“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified”

Paul the Apostle was saying this is The Part That Matters” what is of first importance is knowing Christ, and Him crucified.

Without the Gospel , without the Cross we would have never know the love of God or forgiveness of our sins.

You know, the birth of Christ is a marvelous and beautiful account of how God’s Son came into the world.

It’s nice and it’s cozy to read the story at Christmas time in our living rooms, and it makes us feel good.

But the birth of Christ can’t save a soul, or really show us the love of God.

When Jesus grew up He told wonderful stories and He preached powerful sermons when He walked among us.

But His teaching and His preaching would not be enough for us to feel loved by God or save a soul.

Jesus did many miracles– He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, opened deaf ears, healed the lame and crippled, and even raised the dead.

But His miracles could not save your soul or allow you to feel the awesome love of God.

You see –if Jesus had not went to the Cross and finished the work that God had called Him to do–Remember when Jesus was on the Cross He said to His Father God just before He died, He said “it is finished” meaning the plan of salvation.”

If Jesus would not have went to the Cross, every thing He had done before would have had no meaning or purpose in regard to the salvation of our souls. Christianity would have been just another dead religion–leading people down a broad road to hell and destruction.

Christianity would be like a new car with no engine.

You could sit in it and enjoy the nice seats, the fine carpeting, the shinny dash, the polished interior and exterior, but it couldn’t take you anyplace, it couldn’t take you were you wanted to go.

That’s like Christianity without a Cross–

You can set in the padded seats

You can look at and admire the the nice carpeting

You can marvel at the nicely decorated walls, and the nice exterior

But there’s no power, you see a church can’t take you were you want to go, a church can’t take you to heaven.

All the programs

all the pastors

all the priests

all the rituals

all your works

all your giving

all your kind deeds

None of these things will get you into heaven, the church and your pastors and priest can point you to Jesus Christ and the Cross.

But it’s only the Christ of the Cross that can get you there He knows the way.

He came from heaven and went back to heaven and he said ” I am the way the truth and the life, no man come to the father except through me.”

The Bible says; “In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Christ willingly offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice, and when we accept Him and put our faith in him, He cleanses us on the inside and enables us to worship God. He can do what the high priest could only symbolize: Now we can approach God with total confidence. We have been washed and purified by the blood of Christ—all our sins are removed. If a burned-up heifer could ritually cleanse an Israelite, we can be sure that the sacrifice of Jesus is more than enough for us.

The Blood of Jesus is not a very popular subject in our Church’s today. A lot of folks don’t want to hear about the Cross and the blood that was shed there. But the Bible says, in the verse we read above, “without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin.”

Certain denominations have tried ,and succeeded, to remove the word “blood” from their hymn books–and even the word Cross, and actually made new hymn books without ,what they call, “offensive” songs in them. They say, “these types of hymns make people uncomfortable.”

Can you imagine not having hymns like;

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?

or

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

or

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

or

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Or think of not having this beloved hymn in our Church’s:

On a hill far away, stood an old rugged Cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old Cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain

“The Old Rugged Cross” is an all-time, beloved gospel hymn. George Bennard wrote and composed the words and music in 1913. A sentimental favorite among Christians, it is one of the most popular of all 20-century hymns usually sung on Good Friday.”

Churches who think these Hymns are offensive and want to remove the words blood and Cross and so called other offensive words from there hymn books are[ in my opinion] Churches that God must be very [at he least] displeased with.

Churches like the above are like the Church at Laodicea, Here is what God had to say about these kind of Churches:

Revelation 3:14
To the ANGEL of the church in Laodicea write: “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things:

Revelation 3:15
I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.

Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:17
Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;

Revelation 3:18
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see”.

As true Christians we must realize that without the message of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and the Resurrection of Christ– the Church has no message–and could just as well become a social gathering or close it’s doors, because the Bible says: Hebrews 9:22 “withoutthesheddingofbloodthereisno forgiveness ofsins.” The Church like the above has no spiritual purpose and has lost it’s witness for God.

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) The cross is the central message of Christianity and preaching is the primary method for declaring the message.

Jesus Himself said in John: 10:9 “”I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Jesus also said in John 12:32 “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.”

Because of the Cross and because of the blood that was shed on Calvary’s hill our sins can be forgiven –all of them-every sin we have ever committed–we can have a clean slate–a clean record, a new start, that’s why the Bible calls it “Good News!” The Bible says, “”Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

That’s what the Cross is all about–Love–Forgiveness–Power to be free from the burden of sin and guilt.

Maybe your reading this, and you have been struggling with some sin or sins in your life, and you desperately need help from God to be free from these sins that are making your life miserable. God knows all about these sins in your life–that’s why He died on the Cross–to set you FREE –all you have to do ask Him to forgive you, and ask Jesus to come into your life, and if you mean it he will give you power to overcome these sins that are ruining your life.

Jesus Christ is the doorway to heaven, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Don’t believe anyone who contradicts the Word of God! look again at the above verse of scripture, read it again–Jesus did not say He is “A Way’ to the Father and of course that means God’s Heaven, but He said “I AM THE Way.”

You can try other “Ways,”man made ways, there’s a bunch of them, and you can take your pick. You can either believe God or man.

Man made ways are just religious ideas thought up in a human brain to try to by-pass the Cross and the Jesus who died on that Cross for our sins, and try to get to Heaven our own way.

God is not going to give you that option my friend–it -cost- Him- too- much.

John3:16 says,“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

That’s the deal, take it or leave it–there is no other option!

Before you leave this page, read the above passage one last time, the verse says, “For God so loved the “world,” world means YOU! If you had been the only person in the world He-Would- Have – Died- For You!

Matthew 6:26“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

The Cross, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was the message the early Church preached with power that changed the world of their day.

The Cross–it rests on the time line of history;

like a compelling diamond

Its tragedy summons all sufferers

It’s hope lures all searchers

And according to Paul, the Cross is “The Part That Matters”, “The Part That Counts.

History has idolized the Cross and history has despised it.

History has gold plated the Cross and history has burned it.

History has worn the Cross and history has trashed it.

History has done every thing to the Cross but ignore it.

No one can ignore the Cross–that’s one option the Cross does not offer!

You cannot ignore a piece of wood that lays claim to the greatest claim in all of history.

A crucified carpenter claiming to be God on earth!–Divine– Eternal–Sin bearer–Giver of eternal life.

It’s no wonder Paul the Apostle called the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ of “First Importance,” or the “Part That Matters.”

To think about it is sobering–if the account is true–it is histories hinge–if not it is histories greatest hoax

I was attending a psychology class in college, and some one in the class asked the professor what he thought about God and Christianity. The professor gave a little lecture on the subject, and at the end he added, “it really doesn’t matter what you believe,” I raised my hand and said, ” It really would matter if their truly is a God.” He thought for a moment and said, “yes I suppose it would.”

The Cross is the best news that mankind has ever heard The Bible calls it “Good News” a savior has come to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world–all your sins and all my sins, past–present– and future Romans 3:23 says“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

and Romans 6:27 says,“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

The Cross is the Part That Matters— The Cross is— The Part That Counts

Some years ago my wife and I had the privilege of leading a young married couple to Jesus Christ. This young coupe had recently experienced a death in their family.

We were sitting by our kitchen table, and in the course of our conversation we got on the subject of spiritual things. My wife and I shared our testimony of how much God loves us and how God worked in our lives to save us, the young wife was moved to tears. We asked the young couple if they would like to ask Jesus to come into their lives. By a simple act of asking God to forgive them of their sins, and asking Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, two precious souls were born into the Kingdom of God.

Several weeks later at a Church picnic the pastors wife asked this young man mentioned above this question; “how long have you loved God?” The young man hesitated for awhile, and than answered; “I think I have always loved God.” The pastors wife knew, as I did , that it is really impossible to truly love God until we ask Christ to be our Lord and savior. The Bible says we are actually enemies of God until we come to Christ in repentance and ask forgiveness of our sins. In Romans 5:10 it says; “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

And in Col0ssions 1:21-23;“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

We see then, that God says we are His enemies before we acknowledge Christ as our Savior–and it is impossible to truly love Him in an unsaved condition.

So how about you–Do you love God? How about me– do I love God? That’s the question I want us to consider in this sermon ” Loving God.” We can say we love God–but that doesn’t necessarily mean we truly love Him.

The greatest commandment is— “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.”

Life in a family with children can be, at times, most times, messy. It is one drama after another if you have teens. One mess after another with all ages of families as they always seem to keep eating…

What really matters among all the do’s and don’ts should and should nots in the New and Old Testaments, what is essential , and what is indispensable, is it baptism, eternal security, grace, what is essential , and what is indispensable.

All these subjects are important for the Bible tells us in Timothy 3:16“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

What would you have said to Ivan, the young man we mentioned in Gods AmazinGrace.

Would you have spoken about the condition of the world, or about heaven, would you have quoted John 3:16, or Acts2:38 maybe read from the 23rd Psalm?

What really matters?

It may be that you have asked the same question.

Maybe you’ve gone though the acts of religion and yet found yourself at a dry well, your prayers seem empty, and God seems a million miles away.

Church attendance is just a ritual, and your Christianity is just a series of ups and downs–no joy–no excitement.

You go to Church, you go to Sunday school, and even Wednesday Bible study and prayer.

And Yet -if you had been talking to this young frustrated man when he asked the question “tell me the part that matters” what would you have told him?

Years later this young Christian man had this to say about the meeting he had with his non-Christian friend, he said ” I didn’t have an answer to my friends question when he asked me, tell me the part that matters, but if I could only see him again I could give him the answer to his question. But it’s to late, I heard my friend was killed in an accident a few months ago.”

Paul the Apostle found the answer to this question centuries ago.

Think about Paul for a moment;

He was a church person

He thought he knew God

He thought he was serving God by hunting down those people who called themselves people of the way. He gave his approval when they stoned Philip to death.

Paul the Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ could not have given an answer to the question “what is the part that matters” at this time in his life. For you see Paul needed to have an experience with Christ-an encounter with the Lamb of God who poured out His life blood on a wooden cross on Calvary’s hill.

Paul thought he was doing Gods work, by getting rid of the people of the way, who were indeed the true followers of Jesus. Isn’t amazing what people will do in the name of God, and still believe their doing it for God!

In Acts chapter 8 we see Paul the murderer finally has an encounter with Jesus on the Damascus rood that changed his life forever.

Saul Goes to Damascus (Acts 9:1-2)

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Saul Meets Jesus (Acts 9: 3-9)“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”

Paul later writes about “the part that matters” that changed him from a

religious man into genuine born again follower of Jesus. Its recorded in first Corinthians chapter 15:

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.”